The Age of Mobility: How to Get More Out of Migration in the 21st Century

More countries are now significant players in the international migration system than at any time in history. For the biggest such players, migration is sufficiently large to be fueling rapid, profound, and highly visible social and cultural change. The vast majority of advanced industrial democracies are such players and the resulting transformation is happening almost literally before people’s eyes.

Most states aim to shape the immigration process in ways that advance their national economic interests while still minding social cohesion. States also aim to achieve these goals while staying true to their commitments to observing human rights and protecting refugees.

To achieve these goals, the author argues that governments must succeed first and foremost in reducing illegality of all types and prove adept at managing the inevitable tensions and strains of the process. In particular, it is urgent to demonstrate to the public that immigrants are law-abiding and net economic contributors, and that the labor market opportunities for citizens are not diminished because of immigration.

Table of Contents

I. Changing Contexts

II. Mitigating Strains, Maximizing Gains

III. Outdated Concepts,Inflexible Administrative Categories, and the Need for Better Policy and Political Judgments

IV. “Old” and “New” Ways of Thinking and Acting on Migration

V. Managing Deepening Global Competition and Growing Mobility More Effectively in the Context of the New Demographics